Problem: The Case Study in Cancer
Ann is a 27-year-old nurse working at the local hospital in surgery. She had worked hard to move into the specialty, and she was enjoying her career, friends, and family. She and her partner had been living together for about a year, and she was content. As a nurse, Ann knew the importance of doing breast self-exams, and did them regularly. In the shower one morning, she felt a lump she wasn't familiar with. Ann was a bit worried, even though there was no history of breast cancer in her family, so she made an appointment with her doctor.
• If Ann has a tumor in her breast, is it necessarily cancerous? Differentiate between a benign tumor and cancer at the cellular level.